The present invention relates to an instrument for collecting bacteria in a liquid or on the surface of a solid body and measuring the quantity of the collected bacteria through a light-emitting reaction and the like.
Test instruments for wiping bacteria from the surface of a solid body by the use of a cotton swab and measuring the quantity of the collected bacteria are conventionally known as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,868 xe2x80x9cSPECIMEN COLLECTING DEVICExe2x80x9d, WO9703209 xe2x80x9cTEST APPARATUS SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF TEST SAMPLESxe2x80x9d, and WO9723596 xe2x80x9cSAMPLING AND ASSAY DEVICExe2x80x9d.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,868 is directed to an inspection instrument which comprises a tubular body having a convex portion at a lower part thereof, a cotton swab inserted into the main body, and an absorbent material attached to a top end of the main body. In use, after wiping, a reactive reagent container is pushed up to break a seal material. Then, the main body is put upside down to place a cotton-capped tip of the swab in contact with the reagent by means of the absorbent material.
WO9703209 discloses a test instrument which comprises a tubular main body, a cotton swab fitted therein, and a reagent container fitted into a top end of the main body. For detecting the quantity of bacteria, the swab is pressed down to break a seal material of the reagent container to thereby put a swab tip into contact with the reagent.
WO9723596 is directed to an arrangement wherein members and parts are unitarily joined. It was achieved by adding a member for rupturing seal material, to the instrument of WO9703209.
The instrument of U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,868 is slow in reaction because the swab tip is contacted with the reagent via the absorbent material. Further, when it employs a coloring reaction (color change), the instrument may not produce sufficient coloring since the contact efficiency is poor.
In the case of the instrument of WO9703209, down-pushing of the swab needs to be interrupted for the reaction of the swab with an extracting agent. However, it does not have an interrupting mechanism, though an indicator is provided. Thus, this must be relied on an operator""s careful attendance.
The instrument of WO9723596 is assembled into an integral form. Consequently, it may be used only for a coloring reaction and thus lacks a diversity of application.
Accordingly, the present inventors have continued with studies and found that by enabling removable attachment of a reactive reagent, it can be used as a bacteria collecting member, and that by arranging a container for, e.g., an extracting liquid, to be oriented downwardly and tapered, or by providing swab tip scratching pieces formed by slitting, a cotton swab is held stationary thereat temporarily so that bacteria adhered to the swab can be effectively extracted from the swab and dropped into a reactive reagent container, thereby enabling detection of bacteria. This has lead to the present invention.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sample collecting member comprising: a tubular main body having both upper and lower ends thereof opened; a sample wiping member composed of a retaining member removably fitted into an upper open part of the main body, and a cotton swab held by the retaining member; and an extracting liquid container disposed below the main body.
For preventing the extracting liquid from splashing, a splash-proofing member is desirably provided at a lower part of the main body and below the extracting liquid container.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wipe inspecting instrument comprising: a tubular main body having both upper and lower ends thereof opened, and including a splash-proofing member disposed at a lower part of the main body; a sample wiping member composed of a retaining member removably fitted into an upper open part of the main body, and a cotton swab held by the retaining member; an extracting liquid container disposed above the splash-proofing member; and a reactive reagent container having a test tube shape and so inserted into a lower open part of the main body as to be capable of moving up and down.
In this wipe inspecting instrument also, the splash-proofing member for preventing splashing of the extracting liquid is disposed at the lower part of the main body and below the extracting liquid container.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wipe inspecting instrument comprising: a tubular main body having both upper and lower ends thereof opened, and including a splash-proofing member disposed at a lower part of the main body; a sample wiping member composed of a retaining member removably fitted into an upper open part of the main body, and a cotton swab held by the retaining member; an extracting liquid container disposed above the splash-proofing member; a breaker disposed above the extracting liquid container; and a reactive reagent container having a test tube shape and so inserted into a lower open part of the main body as to be capable of moving up and down.
By providing below the extracting liquid container swab tip ripoff pieces formed by radial slits, it becomes possible to scratch a surface of a tip of the swab and to squeeze the swab, thereby enabling effective bacteria extraction. It is desirable for each swab tip ripoff piece to have a constricted portion at a proximal end thereof.
On an inner wall of the breaker, a movable piece may be provided for facilitating breakage of the seal material. The movable piece is designed to be easily flexed when pressed downwardly by the swab tip.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wipe inspecting instrument comprising: a cylindrical connecting member having both upper and lower ends thereof opened, a partition wall provided at an intermediate portion thereof, and a communicating passage extending through the partition wall; a cylindrical main body having both upper and lower ends opened, and including an extracting liquid container disposed at a lower part of the main body, the main body being removably fitted into an upper open part of the connecting member; a sample wiping member removably fitted into an upper open part of the main body, the sample wiping member being composed of a retaining member and a cotton swab held by the retaining member; and a reactive reagent container having a test tube shape and so inserted into a lower open part of the main body as to be capable of moving up and down.
In the arrangement according to the fourth aspect of the invention, a breaker may be provided at a lower part of the main body.
In the instruments according to the second, third and fourth aspects of the present invention, the reactive reagent container may include a measurement container having a lower space portion formed into a polygonal tube, the space portion having opposite sides with outer peripheral portions cut off and separate opposed sides formed into a bulged arc shape so that the separate opposed sides perform a convex lens function.